JANUARY AND FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS

January and February have both been quite eventful months for me. A mix of good and the bad you might say, but all in all I can't complain. After ten long years I'm finally in remission, so that's amazing news. Fingers crossed things stay that way. I can't tell you how relived and happy I am to be in remission. I lost all hope of it (to tell you the truth) but then when I didn't even think about it, it happened. That's life, isn't it? You never know what the tomorrow might bring. Both good and the bad. I suppose that's the fun in living- not knowing. I know  it might seem a bit late, sharing January and February highlights as late as mid March, but I finally found some time to put this post together, so let's do it. Scroll down to see some of my January and February highlights.

TRIPS & GETAWAYS

Most of the trips I took this January were to areas located in vicinity of Mostar city (where I'm still based) but in February I visited Croatia. I've spent two and a half days in Split city and half a day in Jelsa city (located on island Hvar). I still haven't blogged about my visit to Split, but I will as soon as I find time.  I did blog about my visit to Makarska and Jelsa, so feel free to check out these two posts.

I also visited Planinica hill and Rujište mountain. I loved spending time in nature and hiking is always a good exercise. There is something about  visiting elevated locations (such as hills and mountains) that helps me to relax. Peraphs a combination of fresh mountain air and stunning views? You know, sometimes it is tempting to stay in when it is cold, but this January and February I tried to get out as much as possible and I'm glad I did. 

I visited a lot of locations that I visit fairly often, such as the recreational zone by Buna river. I tried to get out of the house as much as possible, despite its being cold. One good thing about the cold weather was that I got to wear most of my winter caps and beanie. At one point it was so cold I wore my teddy coat over my faux leather and fur coat, which is a moment I will probably not forget. However, I'm happy I made an effort to spend more time outdoors. I've definitely learned how to appreciate and love winter more with years. 

BUNA RIVER

PROBABLY THE COLDEST MOMENT THIS YEAR: TWO COATS MOMENT

This was such a funny moment. So, I wanted to keep walking but it was so cold that I ended up getting another coat from my car and wearing it on top of the coat I already had on. So, I wore my teddy bear coat over my faux leather and fur coat. Well, at least I was warm enough to last a few more minutes in the wind. Our winters are quite mild, but when we get those fierce northern winds, you'll forget about the word 'mild'. It can get windy and cold here. Not often and not for long, but our winds can be fierce. 

BOOKS & PERFORMANCES

I read a dozen of books ( a bit more but I didn't feel like counting all the reread books and I can never quite keep the track of all books I read) and attended two performances, so I'm pretty happy how these two months go in those terms. The books I read were a mixed lot, meaning that I liked some much better than the others. I was quite impressed by the Nobel Winning Mario Vargas Llosa and quite let down by highly praised John Green and Sandra Cisneros. 

BOOKS

1. National Geographic: A Guide to National Parks 4/5
2. The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova 3/5
3. Three Years, Anton Chekhov 5/5
4. Split za početnike: Abeceda Grada, Baretić i Visković 3/5
5. More Stories for the Heart: Second Edition, Alice Gray 2/5
6. Snowblind, Ragnar Jonasson 4/5
7. Ariadne, Anton Chekov 4/5
8. Aunt Julia and The Scriptwriter, Mario Vargas Llosa 5/5
9. The House on the Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros 2/5
10. The Portrait of a Lady,  Henry James 5/5 (*a reread)
11. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green 2/5
12. Amelia Earhart: A Biography by Doris L. Rich 4/5


PERFORMANCES

I loved both performances I attended, one of them a play (Play It Again Sam) performed in Mostar's theater and another a folklore performance by Hungarian National Folk Ensemble performed in Croatian Cultural Home& Theatre  Stjepan Kosacha in Mostar.

HUNGARIAN FOLKLORE PERFORMANCE

One of my February highlights was definitely attending a performance by Hungarian national dance & song group. They put on an amazing show. Performances of national folkore groups are something I don't miss. I love folklore and learning about different cultures. I was expecting it to be pretty good, because typically only the best singers and dancers make it to a national group, but it was even better than I expected. Fascinating thing about Hungarian folklore is that it sounds both familiar and exotic. I'm familiar with the dances and the music, but I don't understand Hungarian language. I don't know if you know this, but Hungarian language is really unique, it's unlike other European languages. So, it was quite interesting listening to songs in a language I couldn't understand. Well, you know what they say. Music is an universal language. I still felt I can understand the songs, at least from an emotional point of view. 

Thank you for reading!